Ice Skating

Yesterday went ice skating at Somerset House.As usual it takes awhile to get used to the skates but it's a lovely atmosphere skating at Somerset House.However,later on and today my back aches.

Before that I'd been to the Prince Charles Cinema to see the film' The Illusionist' mostly a silent animation film.

Celebrated New Year's Eve at the Riverside pub with Tony and his Italian friend Lucia.

Gauguin Tate Modern

Yesterday went to the Gauguin exhibition at the Tate Modern.
It was a good exhibition of his work but there it was too crowded!
The day before Tony,my brother,and I saw the Photographer Landscape Exhibition;some really stunning photos.

After Gauguin had a cafe latte at the Cafe Rouge,a cafe/restaurant near St.Paul's.

Tron

Yesterday evening saw the film 'Tron -the legacy' in 3D.Lots of special effects but the film lacks any real dramatic moments and no sense of suspense or good dialogue.Actually I found it difficult to see the 3D parts,it seemed most of the film was in normal 2D except for the action scenes.I noticed more 3D effects in the pre-film trailers and advertisements!

Snow thawing out

The snow thawing out,well at least in London.

Yesterday mum treated us to a Dim Sum lunch at a restaurant in Gerrard Street in Chinatown;
I also had Singapore Noodles and for dessert we all had sponge cake with chestnuts,but there weren't many chestnuts.

Later we saw the photograhic exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.

Chaos and more misery for stranded travellers at Heathrow and St.Pancreas

The chaos continues for many travellers trying to get a plane or a train.It seems the problems will continue until Christmas Day and even January.
The snow in London is starting to thaw but there's snow tonight.

Today visited the Wildlife Photograpy exhibition at the Natural History Museum,most of the photos were of a really high standard especially the Southern Swell photo of a dramatic shoreline with the sunset and the photo of ants eating a leaf;it seemed like silouettes of ants dancing on stage.

Snowy London

Flew to London yesterday there was a two hour delay but at least it wasn't cancelled like on Saturday;some people had gone to the airport only to be told their flight had been cancelled but for passengers flying with Tunis Air the passengers had gone through Passport control and were hanging around for nearly six hours only to be finally told the flight had been cancelled.However,the Tunis Air flight yesterday was again cancelled.
On my flight there was a girl who looked very similar to Jessica especially with her mammerisms when she was concentrating on the book she was reading.
Today me and Tony visited the Christmas Cologne Market at the South Bank and ended up me with me doing  a video interview saying a Christmas to the troops.We also went to Waterstones and HMV.
The inside area of the fountains at the Trafalger Square were mostly frozen and there was a bluish light on the icy water probably reflecting the inner blue of the base of the fountatins.
Later on we saw an exhib weition of photographs by Mary McCartney at the National Portrait Gallery.
At home,well at Tony's flat I caught up with my eamils.

Hammamet

Last weekend went to Hammamet;it was quite sunny but a bit chilly in the morning.

European Film Festival

Yesterday saw the Portuguese film 'Cinco Dias,Cinco Nottes',fairly interesting but the best thing was the photography with lovely images of the countryside of Portugal plus the charming seductive Ana.

Monastir

Yesterday visited Monastir,more interesting than I'd thought;some interesting buildings including the Mausoleum of Bourguiba(the ex-president of Tunisia).
There's a nice marina as well,pretty much the same size as Port Kantaoui at Sousse.

Madhia

Madhia's very tranquil.
Nice sunny day to explore the Medina.
Not very lively in the evening and the most exciting thing was watching the last thirty minutes of the Italian football match,Sampdoria versus AC Milan with Milan desperately trying to win the match.
I can imagine the town's more lively in the summer!

Madrid

Last week I visited Janine in Madrid,it was really nice to see her again!

Chopin concert in the Cathedral of Carthage

Rhapsody in Blue: An American pianist in Carthage

Art Exhibition

Walking from Nabeul to Hammamet

Day Trip to Nabeul

Day trip to Nabeul with Kaithe and Jenna.Kaithe did a lot of shopping.I bought a couple of ceramic things but I'm not really into shopping and the best thing was going to the beach;the sea was nice and rough with big waves.Great listening to the roar of the waves heading towards the shore and walking in the surf washing up on the beach.

Cool rainy September

It rained most of the day today,I walked to the train station;it was nice and cool walking in the rain.I didn't care if I got wet,in fact I managed to stay fairly dry.
The train to La Marsa stunk of something really unpleasant but I wasn't sure,perhaps thé stale sweat of smelly Tunisian men!

Movenpick Hotel Plus Another Virgo Birthday!

Visited the new Movenpick Hotel in La Marsa this morning.
Sat on the terrace overlooking the bay of La Marsa and the fishing boats.
It was nice and tranquil listening to the sea waves gently crashing on the shore.
Starting thinking about Krabi and Maya bay with its lovely sandy beaches,cliffs and emerald seas!

In the evening celebrated Helen's 40th birthday at the restaurant in the Italian Club in Tunis and then later a drink in the bar on the first floor.Very nice,cosy atmosphere;Jes would have liked this place.If only there were more places like the Italian Club.
So another Virgo celebrating their birthday:Jes's mum,Jes,Janice,Kaithe(last week at the Spanish place in La Marsa,good location but the service was so slow and some of the food not worth the price,but despite this it was a good evening)and today Helen's.Virgos but all with very different personalities! but it seems one thing common
between them is that they don't really like to be in the spotlight and seem to be strong independent women;at least that my impression.

The Beatles in Carthage!

Ten days ago,7th September I celebrated Jessica's birthday by seeing The Beatles perform at the Theatre de Roman,actually it was the tribute band 'Rabeats',but they did an entertaining show.
Although the venue wasn't full the atmosphere was good with many people dancing with also a few of them singing.

Flying Away

While Jes took a morning flight to Abu Dhabi I flew back to Tunis.Hopefully I can visit Jes in
Abu Dhabi in November.
My plane was delayed at Heathrow but at Charles de Gaulle Airport a Air France official met me off the plane and three other passengers to take us to a mini van to make sure we got our connection.One of my fellow passengers was a woman called Helen,from
Leeds,working for an English gas company who was going to stay at the Concorde Hotel in La Lac and then travel down to Sfax to work there for a few days.

Fireworks over the River Thames

Saw a good jazz pop band from South Korea,WinterPlay;the lead singer had a lovely mellow voice ,the trumpet player was good and the lead guitarist sounded like Roy Orbison when he sang Summer Love.

Later watched the night procession and finally the fireworks,although it was only ten
minutes long it seemed much longer.It was great watching the fireworks shooting up from the two barges in the middle of the Thames!

London

Flew to London,via Paris,on Thursday morning for a five day break in London.

Had a great time with Jes,even though it was for a short time!
Met at the Punch and Judy pub in Covent Garden,actually I met Jes at the station as she wasn't sure where the pub was.Later went to the Portrait Awards exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery;there were some very interesting paintings especially a really good a painting of a Polish girl entitled 'iDeath',in which the girl was listening to music on her i-Pod but it was not one of the winning entries;the judges seem to look for some other winning quality.
Some of the painitngs were so detailed that they looked like photographs which made it difficult to tell whether the work of art of was a painting or a photograph.

In the evening had dinner at the Banana Canteen Restaurant;the place was packed out and pretty lively.Mum and me had Malaysian Chicken curry while Jes had Pad Thai,then we shared Green Thai pancakes with some icecream,yummy!!

The next day we saw Shakespeare's 'The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Globe Theatre;it's not easy to understand Old English but the play was enjoyable especially as it was performed in such a lovely theatre;the two women who played the wives were really funny!
Afterwards we had something to drink in the  Globe cafe overlooking the river Thames.

I saw Jes off at Euston train station,she would have liked to stayed longer with me but she had to go back to Buckingham to  get ready for her early flight,early Monday morning,to Adu Dhabi and her new job.

Saturday visited the Thames Festival and did some dancing to a live swing band;by the Modern Tate Museum.
In the evening saw the film 'Inception' at the Imax cinema;a good film with plenty of action but half way through the film I managed to guess the end of the story.A flm I'd like to see again but in a more comfortable cinema as the Imax was cramped for space for leg room and it was tiring sitting akwardly for so long.

Rain Rain Rain !

Yesterday after months of hot sunny weather it finally rained in Tunis and quite a lot too,I love the rain,better than the boring hot humid weather everyday!
One of the students,Makram,was also happy to see the rain!

Cooler Weather

The weather this morning was much cooler,and during the day as well,so it was much more comfortable travelling back on the train to La Marsa.Also there weren't so many people on the train.Yesterday afternoon went down to the beach,the sea was nice and rough,good for surfers.

El Passe Revisite at Cafe Saf Saf

Musical event at the cafe Saf Saf;pleasant,entertainment by a musical troupe of Tunisians and an Algerian.It was a nice relaxing setting for the concert.The most interesting song for me was one in which they varied their voices;it seemed quite experimental.When the violinist and the recordist were playing it reminded me of the desert scences from the film 'The English Patient'.However,both Kaithe and I were bored by the narrator,in the intervals;obviously if we knew some Arabic it wouldn't have been boring.We would have liked more music but surprisingly the musicians had already packed up their musical instruments,not even staying long enough on stage for some applause.

Fire of Anatolia

Last night I went to see the show ' Fire of Anatolia',I decided to go at the last minute,better than hanging around at home feeling bored.Due to the Ramadan effect the show started at 11pm and not 10pm(the people at the mosque next to the theatre didn't finish praying until 10.30.)Well the show was brilliant,Turkish dancing at its best!

However,strange things were happening in the audience:just before the interval during the fight dance scene suddenly there was a blood curdling screen from a woman to my left;at first it seemed someone had been stabbed or something.The woman was screaming hysterically;it seemed that she was accusing the woman behind her of stealing something from her bag.It seemed the screaming woman was about to lunge at the other woman and punch her.Life imitating art.
It was a bit difficult trying to watch the dance on stage!Eventually the screaming woman and the people around her were taken away by the usher.
Some of the dancing,especially when the dancers were all in a line at the front of the stage,reminded me of the Riverside shows.
 
I got home at just before 2am but was able to get up at 6 this morning,so I will have to catch up on my sleep tonight!

The Ramadan Effect

La Marsa is like a ghost town with many cafes and restaurants closed due to people fasting.Even the beaches and streets were practically deserted,so probably a good time to go for a swim with only a few people on the beach!

Meteor shower

Last night the second night of Meteor shower activity,the meteor passes through the northern hemishere every year in August but here in La Marsa the clouds were cloudy so visibility was low.A pity!
The clouds did lift a bit allowing star gazers to see some of the stars but not the shooting stars as seen by Europeans on Thursday night and early Friday morning.

The Ramadan Effect

Yesterday was the beginning of Ramadan 2010.
What interesting events will unfold during this period?

Fish in La Goulette

Monday night went to the restaurant 'Parador' in the area of Goulette to celebrate Laurie's last day in Tunisia.Originally we were going to 'Le Petit Etoile' but it was closed,perhaps because of Ramadan.Janet,Natalie,Kaithe,Tom and Dawn also came.I ended up eating Dorade again,it's usually the best thing to have in the Tunisian restaurants.

El Mana Circus

Went to see the French circus Mana last night,it was half circus and half musical.The costumes were very good especially the dragon and the aliens though I wasn't so keen on the singing.The show was an interesting colourful spectacle but it seemed short,only an hour and an half.The atmosphere in the Roman theatre was good with many kids having the colour light sticks.

Jes's last day

Saw Jes off at the airport but later on she texted me that there was a two hour two delay,which was a pity as we could have spent more time together.It's been a great few days with Jes!Later on Jes texted me telling me the delay was much longer and the flight took off at the time it was supposed to arrive in London ,well over three hours delay so Jes wasn't going to arrive home until midnight ! Anyway I hope she arrived safely,I expect she did.

Sidi Bou Said

Yesterday nice relaxing day with Jes in Sidi Bou Said.
In the evening Jes went to a concert by the Italian singer Eros Ramazotti.

Hammamet

The day before going to Hammamet,Jes and I spent a nice day in Sidi Bou Said first on the Alimicar Beach and later on had another swim at the beach next to Sidi Bou Said Marina and up to the village.Later on Jes had dinner with her friends.Spent a very nice time with Jes in Hammamet.The guy at 'Le Hammamet Hotel 'remembered me from the last time I was there.In the evening we had a nice meal at the nearby Italian restaurant.The next day was spent mostly on the beach and exploring the Souks in the Medina,and later on, cool refreshing milk shakes at an ice cream cafe on the way to catch the 'louage taxi' back to Tunis,which only took about 45 minutes.

Sunday On The Beach

Went to the beach at Amilcar,also had lunch at the beach restaurant.

Last Night in La Marsa

Last night mum and me went to the Plaza Corniche Hotel for a drink with Sarah and Helen,although she had spent more time than me and mum in Sicily she didn't visit Erice.The hotel was lively as usual so a nice place for mum's last evening in La Marsa,Tunisia.

Trapani Sicily

Visited the west part of Sicily:Trapani and the medieval town Erice in the mountains overlooking Trapani.Took a bus to the east side of Trapani and then a ten minute cable car ride to Erice.It was enjoyable exploring the many cobbled streets and visiting the interesting shops which sold a wide variety of items from speciality almond based sweets to homemade pasta.
The meandering walk to the east part of Erice is well worth the effort for the spectacular views from Castello Venus of the surrounding countryside and the dramatic coastline.It was nice and cool up in the mountains which was a great respite from the very hot weather for my mum.In the evening the old town of Trapani is very lively with many upmarket bars and restaurants.The beautiful architecture of the buildings look even more impressive at night.

Sarah's Party.....

Pizza and drinks party at Sarah's.Great view of La Marsa's coastline.

Night on the Pier

Last night mum and me had dinner at one of the local restaurants by the beach then drinks at the pier.Bumped into Leanne,Jes,Anne Marie and Laurie;we accompanied the girls in the restaurant.Pleasant evening in the restaurant but it was spoilt by the waiter's overcharging;he'd fogotten to add the drinks to the restaurant bill and added mine and mum's,which I'd already paid for before the girls' meal.So it seems the drinks were paid twice as well as Laurie being overcharged for her fish!!

Dirty Tunisia

Well despite there being litter bins on the beach many of the Tuinisians are litter louts!
This morning while walking along the shore on the beach at La Marsa,a couple casually threw away the plastic wrapping from their plastic bottles onto the beach,they simply didn't care at all.Much of the beach in La Marsa is often littered with plastic bottles and bags etc.
I don't understand how Tunisians can be so unconcerned about the environment.

Beach in Bizerte

Did a day trip to Bizerte via a combination of local train,the tram and a louage taxi.I'd hoped it would be slightly cooler there but it was just as hot as in Tunis.Met some friendly people during the day:the man at the tram ticket office,two men on board the tram and the man at the buvette on the beach in Bizerte.It was nice to cool off in the choppy sea and a young guy even persuaded mum to have a paddle.The beach was packed out even more than the beach in La Marsa.

Miserable Tunisians

I have to say that Customer Service in Tunisia is appalling,in the travel agency in Tunis yesterday the people working there were not interested in my business not even a polite bonjour grabbed their attention.I could have been on another planet.In fact another customer,an American guy from California,told me that they had been really rude to him the day before.
Later back in La Marsa at a local ice cream place the young female assistant had a disdainful miserable looking face and not even my Merci brought out a smile.

Carthage

Visited the Antoinne Roman Baths and the Roman Villas in Carthage.Also paid a brief visit to the outdoor Roman Theatre where they have lots of shows in the summer.There were quite a few tourists in Carthage including groups from Russia and Serbia.Another hot day!

Cafe Saf Saf

Lively place especially in the evenings but I bet that camel is fed up with all those stupid kids making fun of it.First visit for Jess and Barbera to Saf Saf.Jess really enjoyed her evening in La Marsa!

Hot in Sousse

Yesterday we went to Sousse.Weather scorching hot.Took the 'Dotto' train to the marina at Kantaoui.Had a cool dip in the sea by the marina.Later we caught the 'Dotto'train to the centre and visited the Medina.Spent most of the day in the shade or air conditioned cafes.In the Medina we visited the Souks,which reminded mum of the shopping area 'The Lanes' in Brighton.
The train back to Tunis was jam packed with many of the seats double booked and also the Tunisians not respecting the seat numbers and sitting wherever they wanted.I managed to make one Tunisian guy give up his seat for mum.We finally got home around midnight.

Sidi Bou Said

Yesterday went to Sidi Bou Said.Felt like the hottest day of the summer so far.Visited the house that Laurie gave such a scathing review of.It was nice relaxing there,peaceful and quiet except for the odd tourist group.The waiter at the cafe opposite the Cafe de Nattes wasn't very friendly. This morning Judy told me of the time that she went to Sidi Bou Said with her mum,the owner of a shop mistook Judy's mum's friendliness for her wanting to buy something.The shop owner turned extremely aggressive when he realised he wasn't going to make a sale,so was he slow or just stupid? Window-Shoppers beware!
Sidi Bou Said is very picturesque but I actually prefer it in winter and spring.

Spain win World Cup in extra time

Andres Iniesta scored a dramatic winner late in extra time to give Spain World Cup glory for the first time but gave the unlucky Netherlands their third defeat in a final.It seemed that Spain would never score and like David Villa had said in an interview all it could take was one goal to win.Spain seemed nervous just like in the previous matches and it seemed the final would be an anti climax and be heading towards a penalty shootout until Iniesta finally got his match winning goal.

Night at the Opera:El Jem Colosseum

The El Jem Colosseum provides a spectacular setting for a night of Viennese opera,torches from the top tiers to the bottom ones illuminating the arena,with some of the arch ways also filled with a ghostly reddish orangery light.There was a packed audience last night ,many people had travelled on the special train from Tunis.Mum and me met Laurie and Jes at Barcelonate Station yesterday evening for the two hour journey to El Jem,a small city near the Coastal resort of Sousse.
The night's entertainment was also enhanced by some beautiful dancing ranging from waltzes to a lively Polka.
The local Tunisian,Yasmine Azaiez,a young violinist,who played with the orchestra,was well received by the locals,even her slightly odd inclusion of her singing part of the song 'Bohemian Rhaposody'(a massive hit by the group Queen) was a hit with the crowd.

Mum enjoyed the night out,it was exciting and interesting to see the Colluseum at night in fact the whole town seemed more lively.
We all got back to Tunis ,around 3 o'clock this morning!

Mum on holiday

Mum's flight to Tunis delayed nearly 3 hours but mum didn't find out the flight was delayed until having gone through customs.I got Tony's text message after I'd arrived at the airport so lots of hanging around at the airport.Finally got home at 1 am.

Monday, showed mum around La Marsa including the camel at the Saf Saf cafe.In the evening met Kate,Ted,Sarah,Janet,Laurie,Tom and Dawn for a drink at the Plaza Corniche bar.
Tuesday visited the Souks in the Medina of Tunis and also had tea on the roof top terrace of a hotel in the Medina;good view of the city.

Thursday took a louage taxi to the seaside resort of Hammamet;we didn't stay too long on the beach as it was too hot for mum.
Later we visited the Souks by the fort.Many of the alleyways were decorated with an abundance of sweet smelling flowers.Less claustrophobic than the Souks in Tunis but the same hassle from the sellars insisting/inviting you to look around their shops.There are always lots of nice things to buy but the constant 'Take a look.Just a minute.' is very wearying.

Hard Rock Calling Paul McCartney

Flying visit to London.
Sunday 27th June Hyde Park Hard Rock Calling 2010 concert:Paul McCartney headlining the final concert of the concerts in Hyde Park and his current tour.The support acts were Elvis Costello,Crowded House,Crosby,Stills and Nash.
The weather was really hot so with no rainclouds on the horizon a perfect day for a summer concert.
Nice summery atmosphere with a mix of young and old people.

On a big screen in the centre of the audience the England v Germany match was being shown.While Crowded House were performing,England got comprehensively beaten by Germany in the second round of the World Cup.Unfortunately the ref made a massive blunder and failed to see Lampard's shot clearly cross the line;which would have it made it 2-2 and a chance for England to get back into the match.

Paul McCartney thrilled the crowd for over three hours,a true superstar.The highlights of the show included the fireworks accompanied 'Live and Let Die' and of course ' Let It Be ' And 'Hey Jude'.McCartney played a good mix of old Beatles classics and Wings material including Let Them In'.

Spain comfortably beat Honduras 2-0

Spain's number 7,David Villa,scored twice to finally get Spain's World Cup campaign up and running;in fact Villa could have got a hat trick if he hadn't missed a penalty.There were many chances to score a hat-ful of goals but Spain lacked the clinical touch and Torres missed at least two good chances to add to the goals.Although the number '7' seemed to feature again,like in Portugal's match earlier today,Spain couldn't match Portugal's scoreline.Villa clearly showed why Barcelona paid 35 million pounds for him,with his dazzling twisting and turning to score that stunning opening goal.However,he was lucky not to get yellow carded when he aimed a petulant slap at Izaguirre.
So a comfortable victory but perhaps that missed penalty and goal scoring chances might be important in goal difference to progress to the next round.

Portugal in Seventh Heaven

The World Cup comes to life! Seven was the key number today as Portugal achieved seventh heaven with an amazing 7-0 victory over North Korea,in 1966 there were also seven goals, 4-3 to Portugal but this time all one way traffic.The two teams were only separated by Raul Meireles' goal at half-time but Portugal produced a stunning attacking display in the second half to score six goals.
Simao, Hugo Almeida and Tiago found the net in the space of seven minutes.Liedson,added another eleven minutes later.Ronaldo,whose squad mumber is '7',scored the sixth and also his first goal in international football since his last one two years ago.Tiago got his second and Portugal's seventh to seal a fantastic victory!
By the way,all the Portuguese substitutions were in the space of seven minutes 70 min,74 min and 77 min.

World Cup Shocks

Sunday is sometimes often a boring day but not in the World Cup,shocks galore!New Zealand held the current World Champions to a 1-1 draw while France are a team in dissaray after refusing to train today in protest of Nicholas Anelka's expulsion from the squad.With the French's team unity in a mess the bafanas bafanas could have a great chance in their last group match against Domenech's team to progress to the next round.
It's been fascinating following the World Cup via the BBC's on line text commentary:the opening goal by New Zealand,the refusal of the French squad to train,the head of the French Football Federation resigning,so almost as exciting as watching the match on TV.
There's a big screen at the Plaza Corniche Hotel but they have the sound off for some bizarre reason so there's a complete lack of atmosphere so better to see the matches in the small local bars where they do have the sound.
More shocks tonight ?Can Ivory Coast beat the mighty Brazil.Unlike the French,the Ivory Coast have,according to their manager Sven Eriksson a happy squad, perhaps they have a chance to cause another shock.
However,Brazil confidently beat Ivory Coast 3-1,with two fab goals by Luis Fabianno and one by Elano,who unfortunately a few minutes later,was carried off badly injured.However,there was a consolation goal for Ivory Coast with a headed goal by Didier Drobga.Up to the few minutes of the game and no shocks but the very physical,hard tackling by some Ivory Coast players niggled the Brazilians and a punch-up was almost about to break up.However,Kaka got sent off for apparently striking Keita in the face.It seemed more a case of Keita exaggerating and fooling another referee to make another idiotic decision.All in all an eventful day's football.

Birthday Lunch at Salle a Manger

Pleasant birthday lunch at the local Tunisian restaurant 'Salle a Manager' with Janet,Laurie,Leanne,Judy,Helen,Jessica,Kaithe,Kristian,Dorra,and Anne Marie.Five of us had the menu du jour with 'the taglitelle avec crevettes 'getting an average of a rating of 7/10 but Dorra gave it a 10 ,the pasta wasn't bad but lacked flavour.Janet got fed up waiting for dessert and left early but just as she left the waiter brought my sorbet topped with a lit sparkler and candle with a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' from everyone.Suddenly my phone rang, it was Janet calling to see if the dessert had arrived.Five minutes later she came back but the sorbet had almost melted away.Kristian seemed preoccupied,he hadn't actually wished me 'Happy Birthday'.

World Cup Fever Hits Tunis American Embassy

The American Embassy in Tunis invited the British Council teachers to watch England's first match against the USA.
Were there going to be enough beers for the Americans to drown out their sorrows?
Could Rooney hold back from swearing and cursing at the referee and getting red carded?
Was Beckham's inside knowledge on the Americans likely to help us defeat them?Well,after promised to be an excellant start with a goal in the fourth minute a dreadful lack of concentration by Robert Green let slip a relatively tame shot by Dempsey into an equaliser goal for the USA.What a blunder!Obviously still a bit green in his international goalkeeping experience.On the other hand the USA's goalmouth was in safe hands with Tim Howard's,despite being injured in a clash with Heskey.England had a few chances but failed in their finishing pass or shot.Well Rooney kept his cool but then on the whole he was subdued apart from an off the target shot and an optimistic header.Crouch came on for the last few minutes but perhaps he should have on sooner.In fact victory was almost snatched by a quick run against play with a shot by Jozy Altidore,luckily for England ,Green managed to push the ball against the post.

Litter Bins on La Marsa Beach

Yesterday on my morning stroll on the beach I noticed many blue litter bins had been placed on the beach,so some environmentally good news but there was still some rubbish.
One of the teachers,Maria mentioned that the supermarket 'Monoprix'were promoting the idea of being environmentally friendly via their new shopping bags and also the reuseable shopping bags that can be bought.

Summer Hits La Marsa

Sunday morning and the seaside resort La Marsa was packed with local weekenders.The beach looked quite nice with the many thatched sun umbrellas,it's a shame there was a load of rubbish too.During my stroll along the shore I nearly stepped on some dog shit - disgusting!

On the green bus back to La Marsa a young woman at the front of the bus opened the window and threw out her empty drink can! I couldn't believe how casual she was about chucking out her rubbish onto the street.
(By the way it was World Environment Day on Saturday but I'm sure not many of the people in La Marsa realised or even cared.)This morning something good was happening,the local workmen were putting blue litter bins along the promenade of La Marsa(but it would be good if they put them on the lower promenade by the beach as well,which is where most of the rubbish is.)

Age of Stupid: DVD: Copenhagen Kids from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

World Cup Fever Hits Tunis

'Les Bleus' ,in a pre World Cup warm up game,last Sunday were held to a draw by Tunisia.With just five minutes after the kick off Tunisia took the lead.However,the celebration was in a half empty stadium.In a few minutes the stadium was crammed with supporters,the entrance gates had suddenly been opened with the many supporters outside the Tunis National stadium allowed in free;this must have really annoyed the fans who'd paid to see this match.
Despite this increase of support,Tunisia let this golden opportunity of beating the ex-World champions slip and France managed to claw back an equaliser.

Tunis International Film Festival

While popping into the local cinema I discovered today was the last day of the three-day Tunis International Film Festival,in fact this was the 4th year of the festival but the promotion in La Marsa seems to have been non existant,unless you listen to Radio Tunis.It's a pity as there had been films I would have liked to have seen:for instance "The Hurt Locker" by the Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow(the strange thing is that the Radio Tunis presenter at the cinema didn't know who she was!)I ended up seeing four films and the best one was the Australian production "The Waiting City" set in the Indian city Calcutta.After the film there was a question and answer session in which the director mentioned that she'd lived in Calcutta and this inspired her to set the story there.

The Waiting City - Official Trailer from The Waiting City on Vimeo.

Swimming With Fish

Opening night of local Tunisian artist Asma M'Naour's latest exhibition of abstract paintings ,which have been described as vigourous graffiti-like scrawl,part abstract and part script with the colour red an integral part of the composition.In these particular works of art fish scrawled on the top layer dominate most of them.
I also met some other Tunisian artists plus the local Paparazzi photographer!

Argentinian Film Festival

I've just seen an Argentinian film La Senal ,a detective gangster story ,the best film at the Argentinian film festival at the local cinema in La Marsa,it was free to see the films.I ended up seeing four films,on the first night there was a small reception with a few Argentinians there.

Bizerte

On Monday did a day trip to Bizerte a small sea side resort on the north coast of Tunisia.It was pleasant walking around the old port.Had a brief swim on the beach by the Bizerte Resort Hotel.
Got the louage taxi back to Tunis and then the tram to the centre.

Bilbao

Visted Martika in Bilbao for a week.Rolling hills,light drizzling rain,swirling mists,trams,the Guggenhiam museum,a boat trip and dramatic coastline are some of the highlights of my visit to Bilbao.....

Green Tunisia

Well,some parts of Tunisia are quite green at least in the sense of the countryside of the north part of Tunisia,the area of Amdram and towards Tarbaka.
A couple of weekends ago a group of us visited the table mountain,Jouratha,by the samll town of El Kef,where you are magnificient views of the surrounding countryside;unfortunatley the hazy weather made it impossible to see Algeria.
On the way to El Kef we were stopped several times by the police,I guess it's due to possible terriorist activities.
Well the view of the country from the hill sides of Amdram are quite spectacular but it's a pity that there's loads of rubbish,there were lots of burnt out rubber tyres.

The best thing about Tarbaka is the Genoese castle and the views from the other side of the castle;the jagged rocks on the coastline contrasting against the smooth castle walls.

Pat

Tunisian Jazz evening

A Tunisian jazz concert but actually more of a comedy show with music between the lead singer's jokes,playful banter with the other members in the group and interactions with the audience.In the first thirty minutes only three songs were performed and quite often during the concert I felt as if I was still waiting for the music.A wery lively audience who sang along with the lead singer David,at least I think that was his name,and there was one amusing moment when,near the beginning of the concert,an elderly woman wandered up to the stage saying quite loudly that she couldn't find her seat,later on there was more playful banter between her and the lead singer.
If my French had been better and if I had some knowledge of Tunisain Arabic I would have been able to enjoy the many jokes that were being told.
As for the theatre it was a bit claustrophobic as the seats were very close together and in addition it was hot inside the theatre.
Well an interesting experience of a night of Tunisian jazz music,though it seemed more more a mixture of jazz,Spanish guitar music and folk.

The Irish Embassador

An Irish Embassador role was up for grabs;last Thursday I went to a casting session for this particular role in a Channel 5 production of a film based on a true event that happened in the events leading up to the Iraq War.My audition could have been better neverless it was fun trying out for the part;I don't think I could have done a good Irish accent.The filming is to take place in the city of Tozeur.

Clear Blue Skies over Zaghouan

Clear blue sky and a warm sunny day was the perfect weather for Sunday's trip to Zaghouan;next two days brought a bit of everything:grey cloudy sky,rain,a biting cold blustery wind. On the way to Zaghoaun we passed the impressive-looking Roman aqueduct;over 77 miles all the way to Carthage.The original complete aqueduct must have been even more impressive.

Visited the old part of Zaghouan and the temple of water.

Later had lunch at the Farmhouse restaurant.

In the morning on the coach I provided a commentary and on the way back to Tunis I did a short quiz on some of the things we'd seen.

Pat